The invention relates to personal computers and, in particular, to a chassis or enclosure which houses the electrical operational components of the computer.
A personal computer typically comprises a metallic chassis which houses, and provides electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding for, certain electrical operational components of a computer, such as a motherboard, power supply disc drive, electric cables, plug-in connectors, cooling fan, etc. An outer housing can also be provided for enclosing the chassis.
The computer is assembled by installing the operational components within the chassis. The components can be fastened to an outer chassis part and/or to subchassis parts which are, in turn, secured within the main part.
Before an assembled computer is delivered to an end user, it may become necessary to modify, i.e., reconfigure, the computer by replacing, removing, and/or adding components. Subsequent to delivery, it may be necessary to service the computer. Such procedures are facilitated by a chassis structure disclosed in concurrently filed application Ser. No. 08/431,417 entitled "Appliance Chassis Having Hingedly Mounted Section" wherein a subchassis is hingedly mounted to a main chassis section for rotation about a horizontal hinge axis. Consequently, the subchassis, and operational components carried thereby, can be swung to a folded-out position to afford access to at least one operational component disposed therebelow in the main chassis section, e.g., a motherboard. The disclosure of that document is incorporated herein by reference.
The operational components of the computer tend to produce electromagnetic waves which, if they escape the confines of the computer, could possibly interfere with nearby electrical equipment, especially communications equipment. Therefore, it is necessary to restrict the escape of the waves in order to keep the emitted decibel level below legally prescribed limits.
In order to resist the escape of electromagnetic waves, an EMI shielding is provided which encloses the operational components. The shielding includes a metal chassis, formed of steel for example, in which the components are encased. Openings formed in the chassis, e.g., required openings for conducting cooling air, are made smaller in size than the wavelength of the electromagnetic waves that are to be confined within the chassis, e.g., smaller than about 1/4 inch, in order to resist their escape.
The formation of a hinge structure between the main chassis section and the subchassis, as disclosed in above-mentioned application Ser. No. 08/431,417 should be accomplished in such manner that the size of any openings created between the main chassis section and subchassis are similarly minimized.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a method of making a hinge structure which effectively resists the passage of electromagnetic waves.